Check out these deals from our partners

Enter to win a new camera, studio lighting kit and more!

It’s our birthday, and we want to celebrate with you! Check out our 21st birthday contest and win a free photo toolbox just by entering. We’ll have prizes every month, plus a grand prize which includes a new camera! This month, we’re giving away a studio lighting kit from B&H. Learn more and enter to win >

Staying Safe Around Wild Horses

I am fortunate to have several groups of wild horses and burros that live within a 20-minute drive of my home. They are one of my favorite subjects to photograph with the stark Nevada desert as a backdrop. While I did not own horses as a kid, I grew up around them and am very comfortable in their presence.

Recently, I was reminded that most folks have no idea how to behave around horses. Too often, people assume they are gentle, docile creatures and many are. But, wild or domesticated, horses are half-ton animals who are built to bolt and, if needed, defend themselves with extreme prejudice. Don’t take my word for it, watch these “horse bite” and “horse kick” videos.

With that in mind, here are a few tips on how to stay safe when photographing any horse, especially wild horses and burros.

Maintain A Safe Distance — This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people ignore it. I’ve seen families with small children bait wild horses with bags full of carrots. The horses approach within minutes. That might be OK if there was only one animal. But, when presented to a whole herd, with no barrier between you and the animals, things can get dangerous very quickly.

Even without being overtly aggressive, horses can step on feet or smash folks between them as they jostle for position to be eat. And, if two animals get into a squabble, teeth and hooves may fly, with you in the thick of the fight. If that happens, you will lose.

Talk To Them — Horses are built with a hair-trigger fight or flight response. You never want to surprise them. So, let them know you are there. Talk to them. If you need to approach (with in a reasonable distance), softly call out “Hey fella”, “Whoa girl” or something similar. Get their attention. Chances are they will look up, assess you as non-threatening and go back to what they were doing. If they shy away or turn their backend to you, stop in your tracks and start to back away.

Never Approach Directly From The Front Or Rear — A horse’s eyes are positioned on the side of it’s head. Combined with a flexible neck, this gives the horse a wide range of peripheral vision. It also creates blind spots directly to the front and back of the horse.

When approaching a horse directly from the front, he cannot see you until you are roughly six inches in front of his face. If you approach directly from behind, she cannot see you at all without turning her head. Approaching quietly and directly from behind is a recipe for getting kicked.

Understand The Dynamics Of The Herd — A herd is a complex and often misunderstood family unit. For example, many assume that stallions “lead” a herd, but it is typically the senior mare who is in charge. The stallion is there to impregnate the mares and defend the family group. He knows his job and he does it well.

In North America, mares typically come into estrus in the spring and summer and, if not pregnant, will cycle several times during the breeding season. Stallions do not rut the way that many other big herbivores (e.g. bison, elk) do, but that does not mean there is no violence.

The herd’s stallion keeps an eye out for small bachelor herds; small groups of younger stallions who want to sneak in and mate with available mares. You should keep and eye out for bachelor herds as well. When they get close, epic fights can break out. You want to be safely out of the way and in the best position to capture these behaviors with your camera.

Pay Attention To Body Language — All animals “speak”; if you learn how to listen. Most of a horse’s language is non-verbal. A great example of a horse “sentence” is head low and ears back. One will see this most often from a stallion who is chasing stragglers back into the herd. This head position is aggressive. If you see it directed at you, it is time to back away and give the horse some breathing room.

There are too many “sentences” for me to list here. This video provides a great basic overview. More resource can be found with a quick search on horse body language.

Be Careful When Getting Low — Shooting from a low angle is a proven method of creating drama in the frame. This is true with horse photography as well. Some of my favorite portraits were taken of horses grazing or nuzzling with their heads near the ground.

When getting low around horses, take precautions. Horses don’t want to step on you. They literally live and die on the soundness of their legs. So, they will go out of their way not to step on something strange. But, if they spook and bolt, you do not want to be low. You want to be standing where they can easily see and move around you.

How, then, does one safely get low around horses? I often shoot from under my truck, which acts as both a blind and sun shade. Another trick is to shoot from a gully or wash that puts you below the horses with your camera shooting along the ground.

One can also leave a tripod (or better still an assistant) standing up between you and the horses. In this case, you may need to work a bit to shoot around your protection, but better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

FINAL NOTE: As with all wild animals, it is never a good idea to bait them with food. Aside from potential danger it presents for you, it creates a very bad habit in the animal. If they begin to rely on your kindness, you increase the chances that they might hurt someone or get lazy and slow; both habits can get the animal killed. Don’t worry. In most seasons, nature provides enough to sustain the animals; even in the parched deserts of the American Southwest.

Do you have a safety tip to share? Let me know in the comments below.

By shopping with our partners and affiliates, you help keep content on Photofocus free. Thank you for your support!

Share this post with your friends:

Storyteller; words, stills & motion. Bokeh, a sci-fi feature shot in Iceland, is Doug’s current project and is now finishing post-production. When not telling stories of the fantastic, Doug loves putting the natural world – from waterfalls to wild horses – in front of his camera while traveling the world. For regular updates, follow Doug on Twitter, Instagram, facebook, Google+, tumblr or his blog.

Great tips, Doug. I remember when I went shooting wild horses with you, there was a pair that fought each other, and they ended up right next to another fellow’s brand new pickup and kicked they out his headlights! They’re really not scared of us, so we need to help them keep a respectful distance.

As a wild horse observer and advocate, the tips are great. Might add “take binoculars” and “let someone know you are going, cell phone service can be spotty on remote areas of ranges where many wild horses are found”. I am disturbed by the image of a very underweight horse at the article banner. Might take some heat for it…I imagine as a wild horse photographer you have many amazing images. Thank you for the tips…

Great tips, Doug. I remember when I went shooting wild horses with you, there was a pair that fought each other, and they ended up right next to another fellow’s brand new pickup and kicked they out his headlights! They’re really not scared of us, so we need to help them keep a respectful distance.

0

Reply

Tracy Scott

1 year ago

As a wild horse observer and advocate, the tips are great. Might add “take binoculars” and “let someone know you are going, cell phone service can be spotty on remote areas of ranges where many wild horses are found”. I am disturbed by the image of a very underweight horse at the article banner. Might take some heat for it…I imagine as a wild horse photographer you have many amazing images. Thank you for the tips…

Thanks to our partners who make Photofocus possible:

B&H – B&H is a world renowned supplier of all the gear photographers, videographers, and cinematographers need and want to create their very best work.

Skylum – Your photos, more beautiful in minutes. Makers of Luminar, Aurora and Photolemur, Skylum adapts to your style and skill level. Check out Luminar 4’s unique sky replacement and portrait editing tools, now available. Save 42% off the retail price and get the Photofocus bundle for free!

Datacolor– Get perfect color every time, whether it be for your computer monitor, camera or more! Check out the Datacolor SpyderX and start calibrating your colors today.

Excire Search – Experience the best photo organizer for Lightroom Classic, letting you easily discover photos by color, subject — even people. Try the new Excire Search 2.0 Pro for 20% off when you use the coupon code PFPro.

Xpozer – Show off your photos and fill your walls with the Xpozer frame system. Xpozer makes it easy to switch out your photos in a matter of minutes! Check out the Xpozer Start-Pack, including a 16×24″ print and frame, plus $210 worth of bonuses, exclusive to Photofocus readers!

Illuminati – Get perfect exposure every time, with the new Illuminati IM-150 light and color meter.

Drobo – Drobo is the smartest storage solution in the world. Drobo is storage that protects data — photos, videos and everything else — from hard drive failure. Drobo is peace of mind for the working pro or serious amateur who have a lot of external drives cluttering up the desktop. Save 10% with the coupon code PHOTOFOCUS.

Regardless of the type of photography you focus on, Photofocus is here as a helpful and educational resource for the aspiring and professional photographer. Our goal is to assist in your success as an artist.